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“I can’t believe it! I can finally eat this peach every day! Bwahahaha!” Ifrit exclaimed.

“Wait a sec.”

“…Hmm?”

Elody glared at the puppy.

“Who said that you’re allowed to eat it every day?”

“…!”

Ifrit’s mouth was agape after hearing the shocking news.

“Y-you cheapskate…! Both you and your crazy husband are really unmatched when it comes to pettiness…!”

Ifrit still remembered the day when Caville made him sign a document just to guarantee their contracted relationship.

And apparently, it was Elody who taught him that…

Ifrit was furious.

“What are you going to give me in exchange for the peaches?”

“…….”

Elody turned out to be worse than Caville. He, at least, had never asked for money.

Caville didn’t criticize him so much either…

“If you would take, you must first give, Ifrit.”

Elody said, stroking Ifrit’s red fur.

Her strokes were annoyingly pleasing, so Ifrit stopped complaining and pondered about the issue.

“…I have nothing to give. But if you ask me to burn something, I can burn it to the ground.”

“…I don’t really want you to burn anything.”

“…Would you like this instead, then?”

As if he weren’t confident, he raised his fluffy paw for her to take.

Elody stretched out her hand and held his paw. It was as if she was training her pet to take out his paw when she said ‘hand!’

Plus, his paw pads were so soft! It felt like she was pressing on cotton.

And then.

Something seemed to sparkle out from Ifrit’s soft paw.

And what fell on Elody’s palm was…

“…!”

A small, red gemstone.

Elody blinked in surprise.

No matter how much she stared and examined it, it looked just like a magical crystal.

“The only thing I can give you is this….” Ifrit said in a bleak voice.

“…What is this?”

“It’s an elemental crystal. It’s as good as trash for me… I mean, it’s not that useless, but this is all that I have!”

“……”

Elemental crystal?

Elody tried to recall where she had heard that before.

She had seen it in a book she read about an Archmage that was in Caville’s great-grandfather’s study.

An Elemental Crystal was mana itself, concentrated into a stone.

It was similar to Brenbell’s magic crystal, but it contained much more concentrated mana.

“This is garbage?”

“Well, it’s not really trash…”

“Uh… how many more of these can you give me?”

“…After you finish using it and throw it away, I can give you new ones periodically.”

“……”

Elody shouted inwardly, ‘I’ve finally found a treasure!’

“Okay then, in exchange for the peaches, you can give me these elemental crystals.”

“Really? Do you mean that?” Ifrit said while innocently blinking his eyes in astonishment.

“Yes.”

“I knew it… you’re a nice person, after all! You’re definitely my benefactor!”

Thus, the deal was sealed.

Elody would receive a month’s worth of Elemental Crystals from Ifrit, and she would, in exchange, give him peaches.

After acquiring a successful deal, Elody took the Elemental Crystal to her lab and began to study it, to compare how it was in contrast to Brenbell’s magic crystal.

Brenbell Empire’s specialty lay in the production of magic crystals.

‘I heard they had a mine, but no one knows about how the production is done in detail…’

It was assumed that there were veins of magical crystals in specific places in the continent, and lords and rulers of those places kept them hidden from the public eye.

However, in reality, no magic crystal mines could be found within the continent.

The same was true for the Duchy of Cernoir.

Thus, everyone assumed that magic crystals could only be obtained from one place; The Brenbell Empire.

And that was how the small island empire was able to gain an enormous amount of wealth.

However, the one in control of shipping the magic crystals from the Brenbell Empire to the capital was…

‘Count Borque.’

The land in the northwestern part of the Friar Continent with a port closest to the Empire of Brenbell was the Borque County.

Elody’s duchy was also regularly purchasing and using the magic crystals.

They were a source of energy used to supply warm water or for other tasks like lighting a fire.

Mages also used it to create magical artifacts.

‘It’s true. It contains more concentrated energy.’

Elody had just finished inspecting the Elemental Crystal.

From tomorrow onwards, she was planning on experimenting in earnest to see if it could be used in real life.

If it could and if Ifrit could supply it regularly then…

‘We’ll no longer have to buy magic crystals.’

It wasn’t just that. This crystal could also be utilized for another one of her business plans!

Elody stored the Elemental Crystal in a safe place and headed for the greenhouse.

Ifrit was still eating peaches.

Elody approached and gazed at Ifrit, who was holding a peach and rubbing himself against the dirt.

‘Isn’t he just like a goose that lays golden eggs?’

It couldn’t be denied because with how much he had been eating, Ifrit’s belly had turned into a chubby ball of fur.

“Ifrit, what you gave me earlier, how many more can you make?”

“I just gave you one before, though?”

“Well, I need more.”

“…Hmm. I can’t make it by force. As long as I consume mana, it naturally forms bit by bit.”

“Is that so? Well, I can’t help it then.”

Anxious that Elody might rob him of the peaches again, Ifrit added.

“Yes, but you’re a mage too, aren’t you? How much do you know about mana? The mana contained in this fruit is extraordinary. However, humans like you can not increase their magical power just by eating it.”

He was right. When she ate the fruit earlier, the only thing she felt was just how delicious it was.

Other than that, she did not feel any increase in her mana.

Perhaps the Elemental Crystal was special because it was created with the addition of external mana and the power of a spirit.

“But I still find it delicious…”

“S-so… you’re planning to give it to other people too?”

“Of course. You want to keep them all for yourself? You’re one greedy little puppy, aren’t you?”

“That’s…!”

Seeing Ifrit writhe again in anger, Elody spoke, “I think I can grow other delicious fruits besides this peach.”

“…Really?”

As Elody nodded, Ifrit’s eyes began to shine, and his tail was wagging like crazy.

“Then, let us both try our best.”

Elody grabbed Ifrit’s paw and shook it as if they were shaking hands. She had gained a new business partner.

* * *

Elody headed to Caville’s office, carrying a tray that the maids provided to her.

On the tray were a bunch of peaches, fruits, and plates.

Caville was the first person she thought of when she was craving to eat something delicious.

Also, Elody told Anna to share some with the servants and the knights.

Ifrit was a little dissatisfied with that, but he did not have the right to object.

This was because the peach trees showed no signs of shrinking; it was instead flourishing with rapid growth.

Knock-knock!

After knocking in front of Caville’s office, Elody carefully opened the door.

“Caville…”

As she entered the room, a gust of wind came from the opened window.

Caville was sitting with his eyes closed.

‘Is he sleeping?’

Elody slowly approached Caville.

The white curtains fluttered in the wind from the window. Because of that, Caville’s usual neat, black hair became messy.

Elody smiled as she looked at the papers piled up on the table and the documents he held in his hand.

It seemed that he fell asleep while working.

‘I feel strange. Is it because he’s sleeping?’

Certainly, compared to when he was young, Caville had a different aura around him. But when he smiled, she could see traces of him from childhood.

When he was young, he was as pretty as a girl, but now he looked masculine.

‘……’

Elody approached Caville, carefully removed the papers from his hand, and put them on the table.

‘How did he grow up so fast?’

Nonetheless, Elody was proud of what he had become.

Elody felt relieved because Caville was doing really well.

A few days ago, when Elody came to his office, she saw Caville working skillfully and thought that he was amazing.

Some say that when people were working hard on their job, they would look cool.

Elody thought Caville was cool too.

But that was all. There was nothing deeper to her feelings.

As if she was brainwashed, Elody believed so in her mind and refused to think otherwise.

Caville’s confession was a lie, and she could never love Caville.

But whenever she was with him…

“I feel weird… Is it because I’m comfortable around him?”

When she looked into Caville’s eyes, she would sometimes think that he might actually love her.

Elody quietly reached out and swept Caville’s hair.

‘When we were young, I used to stroke his hair just like this… .’

Suddenly…

Caville opened his eyes and grabbed her arm.

“…!”

Elody was startled as he pulled her waist when she tried to release his grip from her hand.

“C-Caville…!”

Thus, she fell onto his lap.

Caville stared at Elody without answering and hugged Elody’s waist tightly.

“Wife.”

“……”

‘Since when was he awake?’

Elody’s ears started to turn red. She was shy, embarrassed, and couldn’t even think straight.

“Why are you so surprised? In the past, I used to sit on your lap like this.”

“……”

“What my wife did for me, I’ll try to give it back.”

“Caville…”

Elody was embarrassed by Caville’s brazenness.

When he confessed and when Caville did stuff like this, Elody couldn’t see him as a child anymore.

“……”

He was like a strange man…

‘It’s uncomfortable and weird…’

Thump-thump-thump!

Elody could feel her heart beating intensely. She bit her lips, feeling her cheeks burning like fire.

Caville’s ears were also red.

He whispered in a subtle voice, “My wife…”

“N-no!”

“…?”

Elody pushed Caville, stood up, and looked at him with a stern expression.

“Y-you! I’m, uh… I-I’m not doing this with us being adults!” Elody shouted, bewildered over what had just happened.

“……”

Then, she turned her back and stormed out of the office.